


The Innocence of a Summer Snowflake

by Chaotic_Dreamer



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Bya/Hisa, Childhood Innocence, Cute Kids, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, kids being kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotic_Dreamer/pseuds/Chaotic_Dreamer
Summary: “Fool, this is a play date, it’s different. One day, when we’re older, I’m going to take you on a real date. Then you’ll see.”New to the town, seven-year-old Hitsugaya Tōshirō meets a friend that would surely change his life, but with summer drawing to a close will their friendship be lasting, or would it drift away like a snowflake in the breeze?
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kuchiki Rukia
Comments: 11
Kudos: 14
Collections: The Seireitei Server Birthday Gift Exchange 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arel_Draconia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arel_Draconia/gifts).



Summer in Junrinan was a hot affair, temperatures easily rising to the point that it forced people to vacation elsewhere in order to escape the heat. Whilst the older population of the small Tokyo suburb retreated inside, the younger population took to the streets in droves. They’d been born here, they’d long been acclimated to the hot, arid climate that set this suburb apart from the rest of the city. Those that moved here, usually never lasted. Despite the easy transport links and the cheapness of the real estate, it was the weather that sent people searching for higher property prices in favour of cooler summers.

If it weren’t for his new foster carer, an elderly old lady, kind and with a penchant for Amanatto, who insisted he called her Granny, Hitsugaya Tōshirō would have retreated indoors with the rest of the population who hid from the sun. But as soon as summer hit and the kids took to the streets in droves, Granny pushed him and the other girl she was fostering out of the house, hats on their heads and tied around with string so they wouldn’t get lost, with water bottles and snacks in bags and told them to be back for dinner.

Hinamori Momo took to the sun like a duck took to water, and half dragged half led Tōshirō to the river’s embankment where Granny had said all the children played at this time of year. They found a sheltered spot underneath the bridge to place their bags and water bottles before Momo had dropped her hat and ran off to play with her friends from school.

“Make some friends, Shiro-Chan!” She called with a wave, t-shirt and shorts flying over her shoulder as she stripped down to her bathing suit and plunged into the water of the river. Her screams and cheers mixed with those from the other children.

Tōshirō just scowled after her, he hated the nickname she’d coined for him. He’d only moved in with them last week, certainly not long enough for her to have a nickname for him already. He stepped out from under the shade of the bridge and grabbed Momo’s discarded clothes before retreating, very quickly back under the bridge again. He hated the nickname, but he didn’t hate her. They were both in similar circumstances after all. He folded her clothes and placed them in her bag, making sure to wrap them in a plastic bag, so they didn’t get wet from the spare water bottle that had been placed in there. He then sat down, hugging his knees as he watched the children play.

There were no adults, only children, and they were all his age or older. In fact, he was probably the youngest, being only seven, the eldest, if he had to guess was a tall boy, with spiky black hair and the remains of a black mark on his cheek, who looked to be about 10. What the black mark had been before the boy had gone into the water, Tōshirō didn’t know, but after, it was just a black undefined smudge. If the kid had wanted to look cool with a tattoo, he should have used a waterproof marker, Tōshirō thought to himself. That said kid was hoisting a laughing Momo onto his shoulders, so they and two other kids could attempt to push each other off and into the water.

He watched them for a little, not realising that he’d shifted forward slightly until the leg that was out in the sun started to feel warm and he pulled it in quickly, tucking it under the blanket he was sitting on. It did look like fun, and if they had been playing in the snow, then Tōshirō would have joined them in an instant, instead, he pulled a book out of his bag and started to read.

~*~

“Shiro-chan!” Momo sing-sang and Tōshirō stirred. He’d fallen asleep, his book whilst interesting hadn’t managed to curtail his boredom, that combined with the heat, had him lying down and closing his eyes. He’d promised himself that it would have only been for a few minutes. Those few minutes had easily turned into a few hours.

He blinked, opening his eyes seeing Momo, smiling with someone else’s towel wrapped around her.

“Why is his hair white?” a voice asked and Tōshirō looked around. Momo hadn’t come alone.

“Why is your hair red?” A voice rebutted and there was a chuckle from the others. The voice that had stood up for him belonged to a young girl, face hidden under a rather large, and comical hat. She was easiest the smallest out of the group, if not the same height as Tōshirō.

“Wow, Rukia, you wound me so,” the red-head gasped, one hand dramatically clutched to his heart, the other, subconsciously flattening said red hair.

“Fool,” Rukia muttered before turning back to Tōshirō. She sat next to him and removed her hat, placing it behind her. “Why are you hiding over here, that’s no fun.” Tōshirō decided then and there that he liked this girl. A little brash, perhaps, but in reality, it was her eyes. She had violet eyes, filled with wonder and amusement. He had teal eyes, and whilst he didn’t know what people saw in them, he knew they were rare enough that people constantly made fun of him for them. He didn’t doubt for a second that Rukia, should she ever get made fun of for anything, would allow anyone to get away with it.

“Shiro-chan doesn’t like the sun,” Momo supplied helpfully, pulling on her shorts and up-ending her bag of snacks onto the blanket. Tōshirō scowled at her. “Oh this is Hisagi Shuhei,” she pointed to the tall boy with the water-smeared marker on his cheek, before pointing to a wallflower type with blonde hair and a solemn expression. “Kira Izuru, pay no mind to Abarai Renji and that’s Kuchiki Rukia. Rukia’s in second grade with you.” Renji spluttered at his introduction but sat down with everyone else on the second blanket Momo had spread out to enlarge their seating area.

Tōshirō glanced around at the group as they all started upending their own bags onto the blanket. “It’s a free for all,” Rukia supplied helpfully. “We all just pool our snacks together and eat what we want.“ To demonstrate she reached over and grabbed an onigiri that had fallen out of Renji’s bag.

“It’s plum...” Renji warned but Rukia just bit into it without a care in the world. “So you don’t like the sun huh?” She asked, mouth full of food. “What did the sun ever do to you?”

“It burns,” Tōshirō supplied, mentally slapping his face at how idiotic that sounded.

Rukia laughed, but in a way that wasn’t making fun of him. "Well yes, I suppose it does, but only if you haven’t got sunblock on.“

Tōshirō blushed. “I mean the heat, it’s hot.” Even that sounded really uneducated and Tōshirō really started to doubt his ability to talk.

“That’s why we play in the water,” she deftly caught the juice box Shuhei threw at her. “Can’t melt if you’re already a puddle.”

Rukia’s analogy, whilst inaccurate, made sense and he nodded thoughtfully. He pulled his own bag towards him and upended it, pausing briefly as a tub of amanatto tumbled out on top. He contemplated grabbing it, hiding it so only he could eat it later, but in the end, left it. Food tasted better shared after all.

“So Momo says you just moved in with her and Granny?” Shuhei asked, settling across from him and Tōshirō nodded. “First thoughts of Junrinan?”

“Hot,” Tōshirō said with a shrug. Opening up a bottle of water, he took a swig, relishing in the coldness of the bottle. It had been pure ice when Granny had packed it in their bags, now it had melted nicely in the sun, to the point where there were just a few little ice crystals left floating around.

“Just you wait until winter,” Kira mumbled, hand reaching for an apple.

“Does it snow?” Tōshirō asked hopefully but was met with a chorus of laughs.

“I wish!” Rukia gasped. “It doesn’t even rain here, I miss the snow. We used to live up in Inuzuri, and it snowed all the time. Down here it’s nothing but the sun, it’s deplorable!”

Renji barked out a laugh. “You’ve been listening to your brother rant again haven’t you Ru?”

Rukia blushed. “Brother-in-law,” she corrected. “But yes, it’s a good word, don’t knock it.” She turned back to Tōshirō, whose face was now contorted up in a mixture of horror from hearing the news that it didn’t snow, to the admiration of the word she just used. “It’s not all bad down here, that’s why I spend most of my time in the water. It’s only melted snow after all.”

Melted snow, Tōshirō hadn’t thought of it like that. He loved the snow, he much preferred playing in the snow than he did the sun. He glanced over at the river, the water sparkling like crystals, the light refracting and twinkling.

“The crystals are the same colour as your eyes,” Rukia whispered and Tōshirō turned to face her, face going as red as Renji’s hair. “They’re pretty.” Her face took on a sort of grin, and she pulled back from him, hand reaching for the box of amanatto. Tōshirō froze, a cry of objection on his lips, but the box was passed to him. “You keep them, the guys are ruthless, if you want to keep something for yourself, don’t be afraid to do so.”

Tōshirō smiled his thanks, opened up the box and popped one of the candied soybeans in his mouth before offering one to Rukia. She took one, returning his smile and they chuckled as if sharing some secret before Tōshirō put the lid back on the box and placed it in his bag.

“Come swimming with us?” Rukia asked, violet eyes shining. Tōshirō nodded and she grinned, hands clapping together. “Oh, that’s great Shiro-chan!”

Tōshirō opened his mouth to correct her, but strangely enough, the nickname, coming from her, didn’t sound so bad at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite the sunlight outside, the shutters were closed and the curtains drawn as a last-ditch effort to keep the heat outside. Electric fans were placed strategically around the room, a bowl of ice in front of each one in order to force cold air to circulate. For the most part, it worked and Rukia sighed in relief when she walked into the living room, the cool air being so welcome after the soaring temperatures outside. They’d spent lunch under the bridge, napping on blankets as they waited for it to be safe to swim again after eating, whilst also waiting out the hottest part of the day. It wasn’t cooler when they went back into the river, and the water had warmed up a little, but it was still refreshing.

She dropped her bag beside the door singing her arrival and bounded over to the two adults on the couch. Her sister was lying, eyes closed, breathing slow, head resting on the lap of her husband, who dutifully was fanning her manually with one hand, whilst the other stroked her hair back off her face.

“Hi, Hisana-nee!” Rukia stopped at the foot of the couch, bobbing on the balls of her feet, waiting patiently to hear if she would be allowed to join the adults, or if her sister was resting and not to be disturbed. “Nii-sama,” she addressed the man more formally than her sister, pausing in her bouncing to bow in greeting before resuming her dance.

Her sister opened her eyes and smiled, a hand beckoned Rukia and that was all the invitation she needed before running around and finding a space. “How was your day?”

Rukia grinned and launched into a minute by minute account of her day, including, but not limited too, her new friend.

“He’s got white hair and the most amazing eyes. They’re green, but not really green, but they’re also not blue. It’s like a mixture of the two colours that blends really nicely together...” She paused, the first time since she had started talking and frowned, unable to find the word that best described her new friend’s eyes.

“Are they light or dark?”

Rukia stuck her tongue out as she tried to remember, she could see his face perfectly, his white hair and the cross looking face he had whenever anyone called him Shiro-chan. It made her giggle. “Light” she finally decided, remembering how the sunlight glistening on the water took on the same colour.

Her sister chuckled, giving her husband a look that meant they knew something Rukia didn’t and she frowned even more. “Turquoise” she finally said.

“Turquoise?” She confirmed and her sister nodded. “Then turquoise!” she squeals excitedly, bouncing up and down on the couch.

“Careful,” her brother-in-law warned and Rukia stopped bouncing, looking sheepish.

“Tell me more of this Hitsugaya boy, seems like you like him,” the tone of the word “like” and the subsequent look of amusement in both adult’s eyes were lost on Rukia.

“Uh Uh! At first, he stayed in the shade because he doesn’t like the sun, but after I convinced him to join us in the water he was fine. Oh, can he come round and play sometime? We’re going to be in the same class at school, so I thought I could show him our workbooks, and the summer homework we were given.” She and Tōshirō did talk a little about school, and the offer of allowing him to see her homework was asked; however inviting Tōshirō over was mainly only to show him pictures of a snow-covered Inuzuri and to play some games, whilst in the shade of the house.

“We’ll see how your sister is feeling...” Rukia looked down at her sibling with concern. Her sister was ill, she knew that much, but how ill is something they always kept from her. In the past couple of weeks, she’d rarely seen her sister on her own two feet. Byakuya, her husband was doing a lot more things around the house, in order to compensate.

“Darling,” Hisana interjected, hand raised to brush daintily at her husband's cheek. “Let the children play, at least before the end of summer.”

“What happens at the end of summer?” Rukia asked curiously, excitement bubbling in the pit of her stomach at the prospect of having Tōshirō come over and play.

“You go back to school,” Byakuya answered quickly, holding his wife’s hand and fixing Rukia with a piercing stare. “You may invite this boy around, but you’ll have to be quiet and stay in the garden or in the playroom.”

Rukia nodded eagerly. “Can he stay for dinner?”

Byakuya sighed. "Yes he can stay for dinner.“

“Yippee! Thanks, Nii-sama!” She attempted to lean over and give him a hug, but he stopped her with a glare and a pat on the head.

Hisana chuckled. “I want to meet this boy you’ve become so fond of in such a small period of time,” she said and Rukia nodded eagerly.

“Oh I think you’ll like him, he likes the snow just as much as I do! I wanna go paint now, can I?”

Both adults nodded and she jumped off the couch with a thanks and a quick bow, before running to grab her bag and take it to her room. She paused at the doorway as a thought crossed her mind, and she turned, bag swinging to face her sister and her husband. “Nii-sama?” Byakuya just looked at her, giving her permission to speak with a mere look. “Would you be cooking?”

Hisana laughed, hand covering her mouth and Byakuya sighed. “No, we’ll order in.”

Rukia grinned. “Okay great, because I don’t want to scare him off. I’d love for him to come back again!" and with that she turned and ran out the room, her brother-in-law’s sigh lost to the laughter of her sister.

~*~

Rukia bounded on two feet, waiting eagerly for Tōshirō to arrive. Byakuya had called his foster family last night to make arrangements, and Rukia had been up the majority of the morning, ensuring that her room was tidy and that she was dressed appropriately. She had a whole list of activities planned for the two of them today. Starting with colouring and eating snow cones and ending with a paper snowball fight and sliding down the stairs on sleds. All she wanted was for Tōshirō to feel welcomed. When she first moved to Junrinan, she’d been so lost and alone, and she didn’t want Tōshirō to feel the same way. Especially since they were going to be in the same class when the schools started back.

She’d been up since five, but now it was almost one and the designated time for Tōshirō to arrive. Instead of pacing around her room, she took to pacing around the front room, shutter cracked up so she could see if anyone were to come up the driveway. At twelve fifty-seven she heard a car pull up on the gravel outside, the sound of doors shutting and a minute later, their doorbell going.

“He’s here!” she cheered gleefully running from the front room to the front door and yanking open the door to see the familiar white-haired boy and his usual sullen look. “Hi! Nii-sama!!” she called, but she need not have, for he was standing right behind her.

Tōshirō looked up at Byakuya in alarm, and bowed formally and Rukia giggled. Her brother-in-law had that air about him, he acted and looked like he was noble, and people tended to treat him as such.

“I made you something,” Rukia announced, dragging Tōshirō into the house so the adults could talk. Once they were a decent distance away, far enough they couldn’t hear them talk, but close enough they could still answer if called, Rukia pulled out the folded piece of paper she’d had stuck in the front pocket of her dress.

“And I brought you something...” he sounded nervous. “Granny said you should always bring a gift when visiting someone else’s house, and that flowers are usually a good idea.” She looked down at the bunch of flowers in his hand, white bulbs that hung down from the green stalks and flared out like a dress. “They’re called summer snowflakes, and they’re completely out of season and not even local to Japan, but I thought the name sounded perfect, as we both like the snow and the fact that it's summer. There’s this little shop in town that sells all sorts of flowers...”

Rukia grinned at him and took the flowers, stopping his embarrassed ramble short. “I love them!” she exclaimed. “You’re right, they are perfect! Let’s go get a vase and you can look at what I made for you.”

Pushing the folded piece of paper in his hand, she dragged him over to a sideboard where an empty vase sat and she put the flowers in, arranging them neatly. “We can add water later, but open it, open it!”

She grinned as Tōshirō opened the piece of paper, bobbing excitedly as he read the words she’d written there (with help). “Welcome to Junrinan, sure it’s hot but it’ll be a lot cooler if we hang out together,” she said, unable to contain herself, as she saw Tōshirō was taking way too long to read the words himself. Along with the words were two drawings: Tōshirō, as a bear, with white hair and the perfect shade of turquoise in his eyes, and a rabbit, with hair like hers and wearing a pair of dark sunglasses to make her look “cool.” They were playing in a snowfield, snowballs flying. “Do you like it?” she asked curiously after Tōshirō still hadn’t said anything.

A sudden panic came over her, what if Tōshirō didn’t like it? What if she had been coming on too strong and she was forcing this boy to be friends with her when he really didn’t want to be friends with anyone? Finally, he spoke, and her anxiety abated.

“Thank you,” he whispered, and Rukia had to really look to make sure he wasn’t crying. “I didn’t want to come here, but you’ve certainly made it all worthwhile.”

Rukia grinned and launched herself at him, forcing him into a hug. “We’re gonna be friends forever you fool, just you wait.”

“Be good Tōshirō,” they heard his granny call and Tōshirō turned to give a non-committal wave before the door was closed leaving the two kids in the hallway with Byakuya.

He regarded them both, fixing Tōshirō with a stare that immediately made him straighten his posture. “Your sister would like to meet your new friend before she retreats to her room. You both are free to play in the garden, the main living room and in the playroom. All doors must be left open at all times and under no circumstances should I be able to hear you from my study unless someone is dying.”

If Tōshirō was terrified by Byakuya’s speech he didn’t show it, Rukia however nodded dutifully. She’d heard this speech enough times when her other friends came round, the only difference was when Momo came round they were allowed to have the doors closed. She never understood why it was different for Momo compared to Renji, Shuhei or Kira.

“We will do as you say Nii-sama,” she turned to Tōshirō, who was bowing in acknowledgement of the guidelines and grabbed his hand to pull him through to the living room.

Hisana was on the same couch, but instead of lying like she was yesterday, she was sat up, a cup of tea in one hand, a book in another. Back propped up with pillows and a blanket draped over her legs. If anything, Rukia thought her sister was having one of her good days, a day when her illness didn't restrict her as much as it sometimes did.

Rukia pulled Tōshirō to the side of the couch and he bowed.

“My my,” Hisana chuckled, giving her cup to Byakuya who had followed them in and hovered lovingly within arms reach. “How polite. Rukia says you like the snow?”

“Yes, Kuchiki-san,” Rukia thought Tōshirō might have wanted to say more, but he stayed silent.

"It’s Hitsugaya Tōshirō, isn’t it? What would you prefer to be called?“

“Ah, Hitsugaya, if you please,” he didn’t elaborate on why and Rukia stared at him.

“But why? We’re all friends here...”

“Rukia,” Byakuya warned. “Let’s not be rude.”

“I’m sure Hitsugaya-kun has his reasons,” Hisana said and Tōshirō nodded. Rukia frowned but didn’t press any more. “Now then, why don’t the two of you get started on the very exciting list Rukia spent the better half of this morning on, and we’ll talk more over dinner?”

“Okay, enjoy your rest, Hisana-nee!” Rukia grinned as she grabbed Tōshirō’s hand and dragged him away, he managed a quick bow before they disappeared from sight, the main room closed and Rukia pulled him upstairs.

“Now, what do you want to do first?” she asked. “A snowball fight or ice sculptures?”

“Ice sculptures?” Tōshirō asked curiously. “It’s summer.”

Rukia smiled mischievously. “Well that settles it, come on I’ll show you,” and with one final tug, she pulled him the rest of the way upstairs and down the hallways to her room. This was certainly going to be the welcome of a lifetime.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the random idea to create art for this... I'm not an artist (but some could argue that neither is Rukia... but Rukia is definitely better than I am...). Anyway, it depicts the art that Rukia drew for Tōshirō, with the added bonus of a snow-Kon. Rukia is wearing sunglasses, as to a kid, that's what makes you look cool; dark Sunglasses. (Unless your Hisagi, and tattooing the number of the man who saved your life on your cheek is cool, despite how rude that number could be if you don't know the reason behind it...).


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey Shiro?” They were lying on their backs in Rukia’s back garden. Byakuya had pitched a tent for them to camp out in, battery-operated fans, five of them, strategically dotted around the tent to keep them cool. Tōshirō had been half asleep when he heard Rukia’s voice, his eyes were closed but he hummed in response. “Do you know what a ‘date’ is?”

“A date? Like the fruit? I prefer raisins...”

Rukia giggled. “No not the fruit fool,” she sat up and pushed her hair from her face. Despite the fans, it was still uncomfortably warm in the tent. So much so that Tōshirō didn’t know if he was going to make it the whole night, or if he was going to have to sneak inside the house and sleep in the fridge. He was small enough, he’d fit. “Hisana says a date is what two people go on when they really like each other.”

“Oh... that’s weird.”

“Really?” Rukia hummed. “I think it’s kinda nice. Just you and the other person, alone...”

Tōshirō cracked open an eye. “So is this a date?”

Rukia laughed again. “No fool, this is a play date, it’s different. One day, when we’re older, I’m going to take you on a real date. Then you’ll see.”

Tōshirō just hummed again, his eye closing as he fell asleep. If Rukia said anything else, he didn’t hear it.

~*~

“How did you sleep?” It was the morning after, and Tōshirō had left Rukia asleep in the tent and wandered into the house. It was Byakuya that met him, spatula in hand as he flipped pancakes... or what was supposed to be pancakes

“It was adequate, a bit hot...” Tōshirō said teetering on his toes, hovering at the door slightly. “Ah... thank you for your hospitality Kuchiki-san.”

Byakuya nodded and returned to the pancakes, giving Tōshirō the break he needed to continue on through the house and to the bathroom.

Upon his return through the house to return to the tent to see if Rukia was awake yet, he passed the living room and heard voices. Not meaning to, he stopped and listened.

“We cannot keep extending this any longer Hisana...”

“Byakuya, please, she’s having so much fun, to take her away now...” There was a sigh. “One more week, then we’ll go. If all goes well she’ll still be back in time for the first day of school...”

Feeling guilty for listening in, Tōshirō snuck past them and headed outside, only to see Rukia clambering from the tent, hair in a state of disarray. “Morning,” she yawned. “You been up long?”

Tōshirō shook his head, unsure of whether he should tell Rukia about what he heard. “Your brother’s making pancakes.”

Rukia scrunched up her nose in dismay. “We have cereal if that’s more to your liking. My brother means well, but he has really terrible cooking skills. I can’t wait for my sister to get better, she’s a much better cook.” Tōshirō didn’t know what to say to that. He knew Rukia’s sister was ill, but Rukia never spoke about it, and it wasn’t Tōshirō’s place to ask. Instead he took her hand and patted it gently. Rukia smiled. “Thanks, I’m okay... come on let’s go get food. I’m starving!”

Still holding his hand she pulled him towards the house, announcing their arrival with a friendly shout.

Byakuya walked through from the living room, and even though Tōshirō was sure he hadn’t been seen, he still felt like the older Kuchki’s gaze was piercing through his soul and he shifted uncomfortably.

“I’ve made pancakes,” Byakuya announced. Under the circumstances Tōshirō would have laughed at how ridiculous that sounded coming from the older man. From what he knew of Byakuya, he was very much a traditionalist, always so smartly dressed and properly spoken. Tōshirō didn’t even know if the word pancakes had even been in his vocabulary until he met Hisana and Rukia.

“Ah... thank you Nii-sama, that’s very... kind of you.” Rukia smiled and pulled Tōshirō over to the breakfast island, clambering up onto a stool and looking at the plate of pancakes with a hidden sort of curiosity.

Tōshirō climbed up onto a stool as well, and fully glimpsed at the pancakes the man had been making, if you could even call them pancakes. If Tōshirō was being honest, they looked more like scrambled eggs. A side glance at Rukia showed that she was turning her nose up in disgust. Tōshirō took the more tactical approach. “What flavour are the pancakes?”

“Why are you encouraging him?” Rukia hissed, but Byakuya looked mildly amused at the question.

“Vanilla, there’s some syrup,”

Tōshirō nodded and spooned some of the pancake onto a plate and tried a forkful, he was a guest after all and Byakuya had gone through all the trouble to make them, especially with everything he had going on. He chewed slowly, and found the taste to be quite pleasant. “These are nice, thank you Kuchiki-san,” he took another forkful.

“Are you fooling with me?” Rukia asked skeptically watching him eat. “You’re just saying that to make him feel better?”

Tōshirō shook his head. “No, it’s the truth,” he reached for the syrup and added a small amount to the side.

“Alright... I’m trusting you...” Grabbing a plate for herself, Rukia spooned some of the pancakes onto her own plate and took the tiniest of bites, she then went back for more. “Yeah... these aren't half bad Nii-sama! They don't look like much, but aren't you always saying that you should never judge a book by its cover?”

Byakuya hummed and nodded, “I appreciate you trying them, thank you Tōshirō.”

Tōshirō was helping himself to more of the pancakes and looked up surprised, but he nodded and smiled. “You’re welcome, you tried your hardest, and I appreciate that. It’s the least I could do.”

There was a twitch of Byakuya’s lips, almost like a smile, before he bowed his head slightly and left the kitchen, leaving the two friends alone.

“Wanna play a bit more before you get picked up?” Rukia asked with a mouthful of pancake. “We can have a snowball fight again?”

Tōshirō nodded, “inside though right?”

“Of course, fool, it’s way too hot outside. Nah we’ll do it in the play room and blast the air conditioning really high, then it’ll really feel like it’s winter.”

~*~

The rest of the week passed by pretty quickly, the days spent hanging out down by the river, evenings spent having dinner at someone’s house or catching fireflies out in the meadow. Before long the week was up and a new one was dawning.

“I won’t be here next week,” Rukia said solemnly, feet kicking in the air. They were all sitting on the edge of a bridge, feet dangling off the side, and throwing flower petals below.

Renji looked past Tōshirō towards Rukia. “Your sister?”

Rukia just nodded, and Tōshirō took her hand again, patting it softly. They’d been so busy playing and having fun the past week, that he had forgotten all about the conversation he’d overhead last Sunday morning.

“We’re to go to a hospital in the city, but we’ll be back for the start of term,” she turned and looked at Tōshirō, violet eyes shining. “I have a spare desk next to me, and I’ll show you around the school, the best place to eat lunch and where to hide. First Grade is a big deal right, so better make it memorable!”

Tōshirō nodded, still unsure of what to say. He wanted to comfort her, reassure her that it would all be okay, but he didn’t know what was happening, and nor what to say. Instead he said the first thing that popped into his head. “You better come back, you owe me a date.”

The older kids in the group chuckled, and some part of Tōshirō knew that Momo was probably going to tease him for that when they got home. Rukia however grinned. “No matter where you are I will find you, promise. I will take you out on that date.” She curled her fist and stuck out her smallest finger and Tōshirō did the same, their fingers linking in promise.

“I look forward to it, but I’ll probably still prefer raisins.”

Rukia laughed, pulling her finger away as she held her stomach and fell backwards. “You’re such a fool Shiro, but that’s why I like you.”


	4. Chapter 4

The first day of school and it was as hot as ever, made even worse by the fact that he had to wear proper clothes instead of the tank top and swim shorts that he’d taken to wearing to stay cool. Granted proper clothes were a pair of smart shorts and a t-shirt, but they were still of a heavier material than he’d been wearing lately.

Shifting his bag on his back trying not to think of how much worse it would be if his classroom didn’t have air conditioning, he instead thought of the dark-haired girl he’d started missing in the past week. He could almost imagine how their reunion would be. She’d have her hair in pigtails, her school bag the shape of that absurd bunny she loved so much. A huge grin on her face as she ran towards him waving madly, calling him that ridiculous nickname:

“Shiro-chan!”

He whirled his head around as the sound of his name being called, but she wasn’t there. Instead, it was Momo looking at him curiously, a group of her friends standing behind her. “Shiro-chan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he was fine, wasn’t he? How could he be missing someone he’d only met a couple of weeks ago? “I’ll er... go find my class then?”

“Oh!” Momo crossed over to him and pulled on his bag strap. “I forgot, I’m supposed to take you to the office to introduce you." With a smile and a wave to her friends, she continued to pull him in the direction of the main building. "Renji said Rukia’s still not back yet?“

“Oh, is she not?” he tried to play it off nonchalantly.

“No,” Momo giggled. “I’m asking you silly, have you seen her yet?”

Tōshirō shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her yet, but it’s early.”

“Yeah, think positively! I’m sure she and her sister are fine and she’s on her way here as we speak.”

“Yeah...” But there was something about the way Rukia was that week on the bridge that made Tōshirō think that it wasn’t that simple.

Tōshirō hated being right. He hated being wrong more, but in this case, when it was about the simplicity of Rukia’s whereabouts, he hated that he was right in the fact that it wasn’t simple. Rukia quite simply wasn’t at school, but that’s where it ended. She wasn’t at school the next day either, nor the day after that, and soon the whole week went by and there was still no sign of her. Momo tried staying positive, their other friends...not so much.

“They’ve never been gone this long before.”

“Maybe something happened.”

“Shush, don’t think like that.”

Tōshirō didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know Rukia like they did; even Momo, who’d been living with Granny a year longer than he had, knew Rukia better than he did. He knew her sister was ill. He knew they’d gone to Tokyo for a consultation, something they did every six months apparently, but this was the first time it had taken this long. It had been almost two weeks, and Tōshirō still hadn’t seen his friend.

By Saturday, he’d made up his mind to go visit. With all his weekend homework done for the day, he slipped out of the house and walked up the hill to Rukia’s. Whenever he’d made the journey before, he’d been excited to get to the mansion at the top of the hill. But now with heavy steps and a heart full of dread, the trip seemed to take an age as he wondered what would be waiting for him at the top. Five times along the way he almost stopped and went home, thinking it was pointless to disturb them if Hisana was ill. Or maybe that they wouldn’t be in. He should just have faith that his new friend would come and find him when she returned.

Finally, he reached the house and his heart skipped a little beat at the car in the driveway. He ran to the front door, jumping up a little bit in order to reach the bell. The sound echoed throughout the house, giving the impression that the house was empty, but the sound of footsteps and a voice Tōshirō heard through an open window said the opposite. Finally, the door opened and there on the doorstep was someone he’d never seen before.

“Oh... hi....” He stepped back and checked where he was. Nope, he was in the right place, there was only one big house on the top of the hill after all. “I’m looking for Kuchiki Rukia?”

The man smiled sadly, he looked pale, with long white hair and a soft friendly expression. Like a friendly uncle. “Oh I’m sorry, they’re not here right now...”

“Oh...” He tried not to show how disappointed he was in the news, nor how sad he was. “Thank you...” he trailed off, looking at the floor.

“Jūshirō?” Another voice joined the man at the door. “Who is it?”

“Shunsui,” the white-haired man turned to face the newcomer. “This is a friend of Rukia-chan’s.”

“Ah,” the other man smiled, brown hair tied back in a messy bun held together with an ornate chopstick. He was also wearing the pinkest kimono over the top of a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. “We are house-sitting for them whilst they are away. But it’s very unlikely they’ll be back any time soon. We can forward a message if you’d like. Byakuya is an old friend of ours.”

Tōshirō shook his head before saying, "Just let them know I’m thinking of them and that I wish them all the best wherever they may be.“

Jūshirō smiled and nodded. “We will do, who can I say the message is from?”

Tōshirō paused at this before replying: “Shiro-chan.”

~*~

With every new family, and with every new town, Tōshirō always promised himself he’d stay distant. He promised himself that he wouldn’t make friends, as it would hurt too much when he had to leave. He’d only known Rukia for a couple of weeks, but already he was finding he was missing her. He’d been excited to start school with her, to maybe like the new place he’d been sent to live in. He didn’t blame her for leaving though. He blamed himself for making a friend, for breaking his promise to not get attached. Granted he thought he would have been the one to leave first, but nothing was permanent.

He sighed the journey back to Granny’s taking twice as long as the journey up to Rukia’s. When he finally arrived home, he was greeted by a frantic Momo.

“Shiro!!” She was running up the last part of the hill, a hand on her hat to stop it from flying away. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” She paused and panted slightly, obviously she’d been looking for him for a while. “Shiro! Granny fell, I called an ambulance and they took her to the hospital, but we should go there as well.”

Tōshirō looked at her, all thoughts of Rukia and her whereabouts flying out of his head. “Where did she fall?”

“Down the stairs, come on!” She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the house. “She said she was fine, just a little tired but I noticed she had a bump on her head, so I called the ambulance. They said I did the right thing, but I’m really worried...”

“Momo,” She turned to look at him and he realised she’d been crying. “It’ll be okay Momo,” and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. “How are we getting to the hospital?”

“Shuhei said his old man can take us in his car. His aunt is currently watching the house for us.”

Tōshirō nodded. “Lead the way then, we’ll figure something out.”

Momo followed suit and nodded before turning around and walking them back down the hill.

Little did Tōshirō know just how much figuring out would need to be done.

**Author's Note:**

> This ship is a new one for me, so I do so hope I've done it some justice. The crazies (said with all the love in the world) over at the Seireitei Discord Server have brought me around to this ship and when the time came to sign up for the Birthday Gift Exchange I decided to broaden my horizons and challenge myself, so here we are.
> 
> I also hope you don't mind the Bya/Hisa, It works for the story I had planned <3
> 
> I hope you like it!
> 
> Special shout out to soul-sister Shinigami-mine, who beta'd, supported me and is just amazing! <3


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